DENVER (Ticker) -- The Denver Nuggets blew all but one point of
a 29-point lead but held off the Seattle SuperSonics, 102-98, as
Antonio McDyess went 7-of-10 from the foul line and scored nine
of his 23 points in the fourth quarter.

Denver led 62-33 with 3:26 to play in the first half after Nick
Van Exel hit a nine-foot jumper. But the lead dwindled to 81-80
with 8:23 remaining after Gary Payton connected on the second of
two free throws for Seattle.

The Nuggets responded as Cory Alexander's layup ignited an 11-3
run. Johnny Taylor capped it with two free throws with 4:27
left to make it 92-83.

Seattle got as close as five points down the stretch, cutting
the deficit to 100-95 on Detlef Schrempf's three-point play with
53.7 seconds left. But Van Exel pushed the advantage back to
seven by making a pair of free throws.

Payton twice had a chance to cut into the advantage, only to be
blocked by McDyess and Taylor. Hersey Hawkins had a shot
emphatically rejected by Taylor in the final moments that sealed
the SuperSonics' fate.

"We played great in the first half but we panicked a bit and let
them back in," Nuggets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Down the
stretch we scored, they didn't score. If we would have lost
this one, I would have been up on a ledge and no one could have
talked me down."

"I think we came out and played really well," McDyess said. "But
in the second half, and really the second quarter, we didn't
play well. We've got to stick with it mentally for the whole
game."

Schrempf netted 22 points and Billy Owens added a season-high 19
for Seattle, which dropped its second straight game following a
three-game winning streak.

"Well that would have been something," Seattle coach Paul
Westphal said. "We're very disappointed for a few reasons. First
we didn't win. Second, we got down 29 points. The Nuggets were
hitting everything early and we were inept offensively. It's a
loss. Put it in the rear view mirror and you go play tomorrow
night."

After Alexander's layup made it 83-80, Taylor followed with a
3-pointer from the right wing. Polynice, who entered the game
shooting 23 percent from the foul line, missed two free throws
and McDyess extended Denver's advantage to 88-80 with a pair
from the line.

Dale Ellis drilled the second of his three fourth-quarter
3-pointers to briefly stem the tide, but McDyess hit a short
jumper from the left corner and Taylor capped the run from the
line.

Owens scored six straight points late in the fourth to bring the
Sonics within 98-92 with 1:56 left. After the teams traded
empty possessions, Taylor gave Denver control when, with the
shot clock about to expire, he hit a short jumper from the right
wing to make it an eight-point game with 59 seconds left.

"We came out in the second half, still playing aggressively, but
the turnovers hurt us," Taylor said. "McDyess got a couple of
shots and fouls and we finally hit our free throws down the
stretch."

Taylor and Danny Fortson had 11 points and eight rebounds apiece
for Denver, which shot 48 percent (31-of-65), including 10-of-21
from beyond the arc.

Billups drained three 3-pointers during a 17-2 run early in the
first quarter, the final of which gave the Nuggets a 25-6 lead
with 4:35 left in the period. Denver led 39-19 after the first
12 minutes en route to its 29-point advantage, but the Sonics
outscored the Nuggets, 27-17, to get back in the game.

Polynice had 16 points and seven rebounds and Owens pulled down
eight boards for the Sonics, who held a 46-42 advantage on the
boards but connected on just 38.5 percent (35-of-91) and were
8-of-22 from beyond the arc.

"We needed to start the game with the same intensity we had in
the second half," said Schrempf. "We can't play ourselves into
it. If you think you're going to win being down 29, well I
don't think that has happened very often."